"If AI Does Everything, There's No Reason to Enter That Field"... US College Students Switch Majors Amid Job Market Uncertainty

Only 45% in U.S. Survey Are 'Optimistic About the Job Market'

22% 'Changed Major Due to Job Insecurity'

'Expectations for Graduates Higher Than Ever'

A recent survey has found that a significant number of American college students are reconsidering their majors because of artificial intelligence (AI).

Image to assist in understanding the article. Pixabay

On August 16 (local time), Yonhap News reported, citing the American online media outlet Axios, that U.S. college students and their parents are seeking majors that will offer future competitiveness in line with the advent of the AI era.

According to a recent survey conducted by the U.S. edutech company Superhuman, 69% of respondents answered that "AI will make it harder to get a job." Only 45% said they were optimistic about the post-graduation labor market, while 22% responded that due to job insecurity, they had already changed their major or concentration. The survey was commissioned by Superhuman and carried out online by the pollster Talker Research from June 29 to July 7. The participants were 2,000 Americans aged 18 or older who are currently enrolled in bachelor's, master's, or doctoral programs.

In another survey released in April by the Lumina Foundation and Gallup, 47% of current students said that the impact of AI had made them seriously consider changing their majors, and 16% said they had actually switched fields. By area of study, the rates were 71% for vocational education and 70% for technology, higher than for the humanities (54%) or engineering (52%). This shows that anxiety is highest in areas perceived to be closely related to AI.

This sense of anxiety does not mean students are giving up on preparing for employment. In the Superhuman survey, 91% said they were building skills outside of formal coursework, and 43% reported using AI to learn new technologies. In addition, 58% of respondents said that learning AI while in school is essential for their career.

"If AI Does Everything"…Double Majoring to Expand Career Doors

There are also examples of students changing their majors. Burton Becker, a sophomore at the University of California, Davis, started college as an accounting major but added finance as a double major. This was after realizing that accounting assignments could be handled through AI, so Becker expanded his career options and sought to learn more about financial trends. Becker said, "If AI can take care of everything, then there's no reason for me to enter that field."

There are also choices in the opposite direction. Sami White, a junior at New York University, decided to stick with her playwriting major. White said, "If AI is going to affect everything and make finding a job harder anyway, then I might as well pursue what I really want to do."

Some students are witnessing quantifiable changes in the hiring landscape. Christina Aid, a senior at American University, conducts an annual survey on AI usage among undergraduate and graduate students at the Kogod School of Business. The percentage of respondents who said that recruiters asked about their AI proficiency increased from 12% in 2024 to 30% in 2025. Aid said she was asked about AI skills at every recent interview, remarking, "Whether we like it or not, our future is headed in that direction."

"New Hires Now Expected to Manage AI Agents"

OpenAI image for article understanding. Photo by AP Yonhap News Agency

Casey Evans, interim dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University, said, "Demand for new hires at accounting firms now exceeds the number of applicants," but also noted, "Whether it’s in accounting or other fields, the expectations for college graduates have never been higher." New hires are now required to manage projects that involve AI agents, conduct deeper research, present their results, and then defend those results in discussions.

As the list of required skills for new employees changes, universities are grappling with what they should be teaching. Leah Belsky, Vice President of Education at OpenAI, identified broad capabilities such as collaboration and leadership, critical thinking, and AI literacy as the skills companies will seek in the future labor market.

American University has revised its curriculum in response to this trend. Students are learning how to identify errors in AI-generated output, assess ethical issues, and judge where technology actually adds value. Interim Dean Evans explained, "We are integrating AI technology into communication, teamwork, presentation, and critical thinking requirements—skills that companies increasingly demand." In addition, Northwestern University and Illinois Institute of Technology in the Chicago area have established AI majors, while Loyola University offers AI as a minor.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.